Klopp sent message by ex-Liverpool star who had issues with teammates at Anfield
Takumi Minamino did not enjoy a memorable spell at Liverpool but he has remained full of praise for Jurgen Klopp.
The Japan international joined Ligue 1 club Monaco for a fee of around £15million last summer having only moved to Anfield in January 2020 from Red Bull Salzburg. Minamino did secure a Premier League medal while at the Reds bagging 14 goals in 54 outings.
However, he struggled for a prolonged run of matches at the Reds and was sent out on a loan spell to Southampton a year after he arrived for the second half of the 2021/22 season. Minamino started just five Premier League games in total for Liverpool despite his early promise.
Having netted just once in 25 appearances for Monaco last season, Minamino appears to have re-found his goal-scoring form. The 28-year-old has already found the net three times in Ligue 1 this term for Monaco and appears to be finding his feet in the team under new coach Adi Hutter.
Hutter is one of Minamino's former bosses at Salzburg and appears to know exactly how to get the best out of the attacking player. In an interview, Minamino praised his boss while also having a special word for his former boss Klopp, whose man-management skills were praised.
Klopp's dream Liverpool line up as last-gasp January transfers rejected
"He always spoke with everyone, even with those who didn’t play," the attacker told L'Equipe. "For me, this is what makes him such a respected and fair coach towards his players. He manages to get everyone’s motivation intact, even the substitutes’."
Have Your Say! Should Liverpool have kept Minamino in their squad? Tell us what you think here.
Minamino failed to enjoy a prolonged run of games at LiverpoolThe respect is mutual, with Klopp telling reporters after the player’s exit: "We miss him honestly. He is a fantastic player and he was a fantastic part of our squad. We should not forget, as an offensive player coming to Liverpool in a time when the settled front three were Mane, Firmino, and Salah; the new signing was Diogo Jota - it's not like you have to be a bad player to not be in the first lineup.
"No, you have to be a world-class player to be around [the starting XI] and to be the next coming on, so Taki [Minamino] did that incredibly well for us."
Minamino had previously opened up on how he had not settled quickly at Anfield following on from his transfer and struggled to find his best rhythm with his new teammates, who were on their way to that season’s Premier League title.
Minamino told Liverpool's website in March 2020, two months after he joined the club: "I have been in this club for three months and I haven't played many games and my playing time is not that much – but this is not a good excuse.
"In order to appeal to my teammates and [for them to] understand what I'm good at, I have to do what I really need to do. I think I'm still [learning] to fully understand the team, but I still hate to wait.
"In order to make an instant impact and make a contribution to the team, I'm doing my best every day. I only have limited chances but when the manager needs me, I have to show the results of the manager's expectations."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
